No Bro Left Behind
by cloudsdale
Summary: Prom is coming up soon, and Jason Grace does not have a date. So, he lives vicariously through the romantic attempts of movie characters hoping they somehow work in real life. (I wrote this back in 2015 for a tumblr minibang and never ended up posting it anywhere else so heck why not.)
1. Chapter 1

It's no big deal Jason, none whatsoever.

It's just that this is the peak of your teenage social life and you do not want to remember it as being a huge loser who is oblivious to any form of flirtation. Along with never having a relationship that lasted for more than half a year.

It's honestly no big deal.

"Seriously I don't know why you're so messed up about this." It's weird, every memorable coming of age conversation Jason ever had with his best friend Percy was barely even a foot away from dirty laundry littering the floor. Almost always midgame of a round of Mario Kart with Jason always losing.

"Percy, how can I not be stressed? This is prom the alleged highlight of our youth. The ending of every romantic comedy where the guy finally gets the girl. Fourteen year old me would be disappointed if I wasn't like Aaron Sameuls at the end of Mean Girls." Jason used the same excuse every time someone would ask him how he knew such trivial knowledge to cliché movies: he had a sister. That is, until they actually met his sister.

"If I set you up with someone, will you stop rambling on and on about those overrated movies?"

"Really?" just for a moment Jason felt a lightning bolt of relieve surge through his system. Until he remembered how successful Percy's last "hookup" was with Leo. Let's just say that Drew Tanaka was not on "Team Leo".

"Of course man, and I promise that if I can't find anyone I'll stay home with you and watch as many of your romcom movies before I fall asleep." Percy smirked as Jason punched him lightly as he crossed the finish line in second place.

"They're not that bad! And thank you, I guess."


	2. Chapter 2

Jason took matters in his own hands. It's not that he didn't trust Percy, if anything he has his back more than anyone else he knows, it's just that Percy was almost as oblivious to flirtation than he was. Of course, you have plenty of time to evaluate life and why every girl that you even have the chance of dating dumps or turns you down when you received the end of a prank that Jason and Leo had done. That is, when Leo doesn't bother to show for the first twenty minutes of detention

"Sorry Hedge my, uh, locker got stuck?"

"One more slip up and that's a saturday detention Valdez. Same goes to you too Grace."

Saturday detention huh...

Jason stood up from his chair and, attempted, to flip his desk. "School is for fools" there was a THRUMP that cut the silence in the room. For once it wasn't Jason hitting his head on something. It was Leo, muttering all the ways he was going to brutally maul Jason later.

"Jason Grace sit back down."

"Chuck isn't as cute as you say he is." Hedge's face glared red, his words dripping venom

"I'll see you this weekend Grace."

Long story short, saturday detention was nothing at all like The Breakfast Club.

Not even remotely close.

First and foremost, Jason seemed to be the only moron to actually land himself two hours of fun with Hedge Gleeson. There were no deep talks, or shenanigans that commenced. He did not win the princess or even the basket case. All he "won" was Coach Gleeson glaring at him every few minutes in a vacant science classroom. Obviously he would of "wooed" the girl let alone one be present. Not to mention there was only being a few weeks left until the dance.

"Did you have fun?" Thalia smirked as Jason walked through the door.

"Oh, definitely" He groaned slumping down next to her on their couch. He felt like a sad penguin at the zoo. Though depressed, appearance wise, he gave off the same puppy dog enthusiasm.

"You look like shit." she mused

"I feel like shit." a scoffing sound was audible as Thalia strolled over to the overwhelming amount of DVDs piled in and on a wooden shelf. An heirloom you could say.

"This is a one time thing okay? No weekly 'Grace Sibling Movie Nights' this is just so you can stop being" she motioned to him in general, "so blech." Jason felt like hugging her. "and I'm choosing the movie. No cheesy chick flicks."

Jason fell asleep not even halfway through the movie. It's not like he couldn't predict the plot of Heathers. Movies like this had a formula. The guy and girl get together, seek redemption on the popular clique, and live happily ever after. He did however find it strange how quickly J.D and Veronica became a couple so early on in the movie. Also why Thalia would even pick a movie like this to watch in the first place.

A little known fact in the Grace household is that they are raised to be film geeks. What's a better family bonding time than staring at a screen without actually communicating to each other? With a rickety wooden shelf having mostly classics and romcoms, aside from the few horror and action movies hoarded by both Thalia and their father, they never even needed the urge to sit down and talk about one's day. That's for normal families.

The Grace family was far from normal.

"Jason? Sweetie, where are you going?" Beryl Grace was always a sweeter person in the evening. At least for someone who's philosophy is it's happy hour somewhere.

"I'm just, uh, going to the store I'll be back soon."

"Don't do anything-" HIC "-stupid". He hated seeing his mother like this. Though, this seemed to be one of the more tame sides since their Father left. Well, left isn't quite the right word. More like stopped cheating on his first wife of which whom he was still married to.

He was a good ten feet from the door before she hollered for him to buy more milk. Jason sighed, shoved his hands in his pocket and muttered a "sure mom" knowing she couldn't hear her over whatever reality show was on.

Though he wasn't quite sure what exactly happened in Heathers he did stay awake enough to learn that they pretty much got together in a 7 Eleven and they had a justice filled undying love for eachother. If it worked for Jason Dean, it will work for Jason Grace.

He learned quickly that convenience stores are eternally locked in a time bubble. It felt like hours have passed, but checking his watch it's been about ten minutes. There's only so much you can do before you look suspicious.

"Jason?" a voice sweet and as crisp crept behind him. This was it, he was about to meet his Veronica Sawyer. He turned around as suave and cool he could possibly be.

Oh

A broad standing girl of seventeen, a blue feather clipped in her hair and ripped flannel stood behind him.

"O-Oh, uh, hey Piper" things would probably be less awkward if they hadn't of broken up in months past. Actually no, Jason is an anxious mess on a good day when it comes to girls. Once dated or not.

"Come for a nightly raid too Sparky? Could you pass me the corn nuts next to you?"

It's happening.

"I don't suppose you're supposed to be at some cool college party with your friend huh?" idiot

"Jason, it's Tuesday night and we have school tomorrow. The only partying I'm doing is with my world history textbook and a study guide"

"But, is that a real thing?" Jason asked trying to string the last threads left of his 'cool'.

"I wouldn't know," she shrugged "I'm not typically invited to those things. Besides, even if I was going out, why would I go to some party where drama unfolds and people would just judge me when I can stay at home and have my own party with bad horror movies and ice cream?"

Though not quite sure exactly why, perhaps she just gave off the sense of relatability and comfort or was actually a secret descendent of some type of mythological deity who knew how to manipulate people and get what they want to hear out of their victim. But Jason spilled out his 'master plan' of romantic cliches that will never actually happen in a lifetime to Piper.

Come on, this is Piper McLean we're talking to. The same girl who both had plan and won, a successful prank war against Leo Valdez that went on for two months just so she could smash a pie in his face without rebound. (which of course did not make much sense considering the acts beforehand.) She isn't some stranger where movie scenarios are actually going to work. Jason took the high road and explained his 'plan'. Piper's face beaming red trying not to laugh at the ridiculous attempts of this poor teenage boy. At least she kind of tried to hide it.

"You do realize the plot of Heathers is framing revenge murder as suicide right?" she spat out.

"I-Is it really? Oh my god!" he finally understood why Thalia never complained about that movie. It seemed so twisted she actually liked a cliché eighties movie. Finally, catching a stable breath, Piper said some words that would later bring Jason to both his defeat and victory.

"How about instead of getting some stranger to spend an awkward night together, you just ask someone you already know?"

Jason of course, being hardwired to exaggerate and be an old romantic, was oblivious to the thought of possibly asking a Ms. Piper McLean casually to the dance as a friend. Nope, that never struck his mind. Instead he embarrassed both himself and Piper in more ways than one.

Jason the next morning made his way, casually, to Piper's locker.

Make it or break it Jason.

Trying to be, what he thought was, suave he combed his hair back with his hand. Though it might of been the nerves or the utter fear of rejection, his instincts decided that it was the perfect time to be clumsy and instead of combing his hair back his hand slipped and ended up smacking his glasses down hard on the bridge of his nose.

"Ouch,"

"Oh," Piper noticed, "Hey Jason. Ready for Brunner's mythology quiz? You studied right?"

Jason panicked, instead of saying something that actually made sense, his mind went into autopilot Smooth Guy mode and blurted out.

"You don't know me, but I know me."

"What did you say?"

Stupid

"It was, um, from The Notebook." so far Piper wasn't running away, this is good. Then again it could just be possible that she was used to Jason's movie quotes and trivia. Either way he probably messed up, big time.

"Oh, uh yeah, you know I never understood what all the hype was about with that movie. I thought it was okay at best. The ending seemed put together in a rush."

He had to constrain himself from going on a rather time consuming and useless rant.

"Well I get what you're saying but-" the warning bell cut Jason off. Just his luck.

"Oh shoot! I'm going to be late for french. You can rant about your cheesy movies to me another time."

"They're not-" Piper was gone before he had the time to finish his sentence. If he wasn't feeling down in the dumps before, he certainly is now. "-Cheesy." At this rate he was bound to admit defeat. But, a certain Jason Grace never gives up, all he had to do was sit down and plan it.

And plan he did. His idea was so idiotic it might actually work. Which, in all honesty, were how the last few ideas ended up being.


	3. Chapter 3

All he needed now was luck and a boombox, which was lodged in the very back of their attic.

"Oh," was all that made out when he revisited the cluttered mess everyone piled their stuff in. He always remembered the attic to be this big scary room he would get swallowed in. Now it was small enough that he'd bump his head on the arched ceiling.

"Jason sweetheart," his mother was on the first few steps of the ladder leading up to a claustrophobic nightmare "See if you can find any of that nice china your father left behind." Both

Thalia and Jason were certain at a young age that there was no actual china hidden in a crawl space or the back of a closet. It's been twelve years and their mother is still certain that there's something of value hidden up there. After all it was the only possible place left. She'd insist that she would look herself when she had the energy, though it's been a few years…

"Mom I-" he sighed. It would be easier to just go along with her wouldn't it? "I, I mean, yeah I'll keep an eye out." Beryl got off the steps and tried to regain her balance.

"If you get stuck up there I'm not helping you." her voice got farther and farther away. "I'll start writing the eulogy for my only son and collect-"

Focus on the task Jason. Which may or may not lead you to sudden death. Though death might seem to be the easier route…

All he needed to do was to find Thalia's boom box that may or may of not been already sold for grocery money. It was worth a shot.

It was like he was playing a life size 20 by 20 square foot game of Jenga. Eventually everything was going to topple over, but as long as it wasn't today Jason was fine as wine.

"Is that it?" he muttered to himself spotting a bright purple box with skulls drawn over blue and pink flowers. Yup, definitely Thalia's. The thing must of weighed a ton. Someone would've broken a bone if it were dropped on them. Luckily for him, this time, nothing toppled.

He knocked on Thalia's door gingerly, no need to be rude. "Thalia? Can I come in?" Jason was one of the few who, on occasion, went into Thalia Grace's room and survived. It's really not much. You expect to go in and see her performing an ancient sacrifice to Gerard Way, but really it's another room in the house with some band posters Jason didn't recognize.

"Typically people wait for a response before they barge in." she snapped.

"Do you have In Your Eyes on CD?" He eyed her closet as if he was expecting something to pop out and startle him.

Thalia turned around and squinted at him "After all these years would you think I would actually listen to that?" she walked over to her closet, standing on her tippy toes, and reached up for a basket. Nothing seemed to pop out, so that was good.

"Everything else is scratched or broken." she handed him a CD with barely legible handwriting on it. Jason carefully slid it in his pants pocket.

He had no clue what was on that CD, it could be tame and acoustic or sound like a cat screeching with guitar booming. There was really no telling with Thalia, but you learn to never question it


	4. Chapter 4

There were many problems in Jason's final plan. But none of these seemed to reveal themselves until after. He pulled up to the McLean residence that evening and dragged out the eye blazing bright purple boombox. Popping in the probably questionable CD, he held it outside Piper's room while some Green Day song played.

"Piper!" the music drowned out his yelling, it would be a damn shame if Piper wasn't even home to begin with. As the song faded into a mellow silence the next track played with a screaming and heavy drums. Startled by the entrance his arms dropped leaving the boombox to fall on Jason's head and knock him out cold.

He somehow woke up in the comfort of his bed.

"Jason?" an angel of beautiful caramel was leaning over him.

"...Am I in Heaven now?" Jason managed to mutter.

"No, you were passed out in my driveway with a stereo and Pierce The Veil playing at full volume. Putting two and two together with you and, well, your past history you were probably doing something stupid and got hit in the head." it was obvious she was, or had been, laughing at the matter. Jason turned to her,

"So are you, do you, want to go to prom?" Instantly the playful expression on her face turned into a more uncomfortable one.

"You know I would love to but I don't think I can. It's just, well, I don't think I'm worth all this hassle. I wasn't planning on going anyway and…"

"And?"

"There's a reason I wanted to stay just friends Jason. It's not just a cliché break up line, I care about you and I don't want to see you be hurt over me." Piper stood up "I think I should be going." She stuttered over to the door but halted at the door frame. "I'm sorry Jason."

After hearing the door close he started to walk home. He ended up power walking a mile and a half home, like a suburban mother, and stormed towards the overflowing abundance of DVD's and started savagely ripping them off the shelf one by one briefly looking at the cover, then throwing them in sort of organized piles. There has to be something, there has to be someone to solve his problems.

"I'm not helping you clean those up." Thalia towered over him as he was knelt down reading the box cover of The Brave Little Toaster. A silent pause came over the two her eyes stuck on the VHS tape.

"I remember that one." she walked over to a dusty black box and started plugging wires into the T.V. "When you were two you made me watch it with you eight times. Hand me the tape."

The younger grace looked down at the tape. He didn't even remember the plot something with appliances having feelings. "I don't have the time to watch it. I have two days to get a date for the prom."

"You know, I had an orchestra concert that day. I had a cello solo and I needed to practice it, but I didn't get to because I was too busy watching animated appliances find the meaning of love. So sit your butt down and were having one of those Grace Sibling Movie Nights."

"I thought you didn't want any of-" She cut him off.

"Well I do now, so sit down and don't fall asleep this time."

As the credits role and both of the Grace siblings sat there, puffy eyed and on the edge of tears, leaving them with a sense of emptiness and slight satisfaction.

"I don't remember it like that." Thalia muttered breaking the silence. If anyone would of asked her if she cried, she would probably of denied it and harmed them in some sort of way if they assumed another way. But if you saw her like this, tears on the edge of falling and her lip quivering slightly, you would think she was a completely different person.

"I should just give up." Jason blurted out.

"Don't say that there's-"

"No, I really should. I mean, if it takes some kids movie to make me realize that trying too hard is what causes my failure then maybe I need to stop." It was quiet between the siblings.

"So," she started, "did my playlist not win her over?" a smile started to form on the younger brother's face.

"After some Green Day song it was one of those screaming songs. You know, the ones you used to play at the crack of dawn to wake everyone up, and I dropped the boombox on my head." The weight of the atmosphere was lifted. It was a good thing too, neither of them were quite fond of heavy conversations.

"Seriously there's only so many concussions one person can possibly have. It's like some horrible joke." Thalia burst out laughing, they ended up watching three other kid's movies before calling it a night.

It's official, Jason Grace had admitted defeat. And by showing so, he spent his Saturday morning lying around in his SuperMan pajama pants eating his third bowl of frosted flakes. Just with his luck the doorbell rang right when he got comfortable. Opening the door Jason was shoved with a blue corsage and tux bag.

"Wait what, Percy what are you-"

"Come on," Percy smiled wide, "We have a prom to go to."

Jason was confused beyond compare. "Then who's my date?"

"You're looking at him, after all no bro left behind right?"


End file.
